Apprentice to the Royal Sorcerer
by Iambic Brose
Summary: Originally unconnected drabbles, they were connected to form an arching story and added onto. Raised in the village, Sofia was always interested in magic, and now she has the best royal sorcerer in the Ever Realm to teach her! But he doesn't seem to be quite as willing to teach as she is to learn. Still, Sofia could always do anything she put her mind to! This was no exception.
1. Magic 101

**A/N: Hello, everyone! Now, before you scold us for starting a new story when already in the middle of another for the same fandom, this one is already finished! It's only a matter of editing, proofing, and posting, now. I figured I'd give you all _something_ to tide you over while we try to get more chapters backlogged for our other fics! We hope that you enjoy.**

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"Good morning, Mister Ceedric," Sofia hummed cheerfully. Well, it _had_ been a good morning. Mourning his latest ruined attempt at a potion that he had been working on all night, Cedric sighed and glared at the grinning girl out of the corner of his eye.

"It's _Cedric_. I don't know how many times- Ooh, what do you want now, Princess?"

"I wanted to come say hello!" She smiled and paused before, "Hello!"

Staring incredulously, Cedric dragged a hand down his face. "Hello." The things he put up with as royal sorcerer. "Now if you'll excuse me I, _Cedric the Great_ , have work to do." Maybe if he said his name correctly enough she would finally get it.

"Ooo, what magical mystical sorcery are you working on today, Mister Ceedric?" Sofia walked over to the counter and leaned over- Cedric dragged her away quickly, clearing his throat.

"Nothing important!" Best to not let her know he was after he amulet - that and if she got hurt the King would have his head.

"But you're the royal sorcerer. Everything you do is important." Scowling, Cedric did his best to not show his enjoyment over the truth. Children always did know quality, he supposed.

"Yes, well, seeing as that's true then you should probably go back to playing with kittens and bunny rabbits so I can _do_ my very important royal sorcerer work."

"Oh, Mister Ceedric, there aren't any kittens in the castle!" Opening the door, Cedric made a face as he begun pushing her out.

"Yes, yes, very nice, and it's _Cedric_. Said. Dric."

"Oookay! Bye, Mister Ceedric!" This girl was hopeless.

"Goodbye, Princess Sofia."

::

"Hi, Mister Ceedric!"

"It's- Oh, what's the use." Sighing, Cedric didn't even bother to lift his head off his desk, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong in his potion making _this_ time. Potions were always so difficult. Did he use the wrong kind of flower?

"Is everything okay, Mister Ceedric?" He heard her walk over. Opening his eyes, he saw the young girl was standing in front of him, looking curious and concerned.

"Nothing you can help with." She may have had magical potential, but not enough to do _his_ level of work.

"Well, you've helped me lots, maybe I can help you!"

"Very well." Best to get it over with. "I'm having trouble with this potion that's supposed to help the castle gardens grow back after the last winter. I can make a few flowers, easily enough, but it takes work to make them stick around."

"Oh! I've been in an enchanted gardening group after school! Maybe I could help!" She was already looking over his books and ingredients, poor thing.

"If you think you can." Cedric gave a halfhearted wave of his hand, standing up and looking at the mess of a potion he had been working on for the better part of the day. He would need a new cauldron, soon. "I highly doubt an after-school gardening club will be helpful, however."

"Oh! Found it!"

"I- Wait, what?" Oh. She had.

"You're using a pale fuchsia mountain lily when you should be using a lavender mountain lily!" She held out the mentioned flower to him with a smile. Carefully taking it, Cedric studied the flower with narrowed eyes before dropping it into the cauldron, ready for any resulting enough, the potion turned the opalescent shades it was meant to, and began to steam lightly.

"You're quite good at magic, you know." Giving her another look, Cedric slowly frowned. Perhaps it was the amulet that gave her all that power? No, it was meant to amplify... Hm.

"I've been watching the best sorcerer in the kingdom." This girl certainly knew now to endear herself to people. Cedric was a little bit impressed. Clearing his throat, Cedric hesitantly patted her once on the head.

"Yes, well."

"Is there anything else you need help with, Mister Ceedric?"

"Ah, well..." Perhaps he could learn more about the girl if she stayed around. So he could steal the amulet easier. Of course. "I was going to re-organize some of my father's old magic books today."

"I can help with that!" Beside him, Wormwood cawed, causing the young princess to frown. Such an expression didn't seem right on her ever-smiling face.

"I suppose I should endeavor to keep you out of trouble," Cedric sighed, slightly grinning. At least this way he would get his work done quicker. "Come along, then. There's quite a few books he left behind."

"Oo! Like what kind of books?" She was quickly following after him, holding her dress up to keep it from dragging.

"Well, they're all magical but quite a few of them delve into magical theory more than anything." Walking over to the shelves, Cedric gestured to where dozens of books were stacked all around in loose circles. He really did need to organize them today. "Basically Magic 101 but there are some useful things upon occasion, I've found."

"Really?" ...If this weren't Princess Sofia, he would say that was a calculating gleam in her eye. As it was, it was probably nothing more than childish enthusiasm.

"Oh, yes. They're typically the books you'll see for courses if you attend a sorcery school. Let's see, we should probably sort these by the type of magic- Perhaps the title? Hm, author might work best, actually..."

"There's a school just for sorcery?" Sofia was beaming up at him, holding the book tightly to her chest. Raising an eyebrow down at her, Cedric gave a significant look to Wormwood. Did he see what Cedric truly put up with?

"Yes, there is, although you have to pass a test to even get in. I believe one year the test was hatching a dragon egg. Ridiculously difficult, considering dragons are near impervious to magic, let alone magic from _children_." Wormwood crowed loudly beside him, and Sofia's smile quickly turned down as she held the book tighter.

"Wormwood!" She huffed and, still holding the book, stomped out of the workshop. Blinking, Cedric frowned and looked to Wormwood and, hm. That was strange.

"I don't think that's the first time I've seen her yell at you like that." It almost seemed like Sofia could understand Wormwood better than _he_...could... "Wormy, can she understand you?" Wormwood certainly didn't seem shocked by his question, which could only mean... Oh dear... "You haven't mentioned anything about her amulet around her, have you? Oh, no, no, no, this could ruin every- She took my book!"

Well, she was far too noble and good of heart to keep it. Cedric would most likely get his book back in an hour or two.

::

Cedric hadn't gotten his book back and it had been a week and not only that but there seemed to be _more_ books missing. They were high-level ones, too, which meant he was struggling to finish a spell when he couldn't fact-check! Hm. If his book were being stolen by whom he thought... Time for an experiment. Grabbing a low-level magic starter book, Cedric carefully left it in plain sight near the door.

By the next morning, the book was still there, but three other books a level ahead had gone missing. Arms crossed, Cedric stared at his dwindling bookshelves with a frown. Why was she taking all the higher level books but leaving the starts? It wasn't like she could use all that magic without knowing the basics! Almost the moment he'd thought that, there was a shriek, and a loud boom that rocked the castle.

Scrambling to keep things from falling over, Cedric grabbed his wand and threw open the door. "Come on, Wormwood! I have a feeling that there's a Princess who might need our help." Ugh. That felt wrong to say.

Cedric reached the room last, it seemed, as everyone else was already in the doorway. "Sofia, what happened?"

"I don't know! I was just practicing a levitation spell!"

"Cedric, would you do something?" Floundering at the king's command, Cedric looked into the room and stared at what he saw. Everything was _on the ceiling_. "Oh, Sofia, how did this happen?"

"I don't know! I thought I said the incantation right, and I waved my wand the right way-"

"Did you practice saying the incantation _before_ you waved your wand- Oh, what am I saying, of course you did." Sofia wouldn't make a mistake that basic, at least. Maybe her amulet boosted the spell?

"I, um... Maybe?" Sofia was playing with her hands, sheepish expression on her face.

"'Maybe'." Cedric raised his eyebrows, staring up - _up_ \- at Sofia. "Princess Sofia."

"I-"

"Hey, Sofia, you- Woah!" Staring as James was now on the ceiling himself, Cedric frowned and stuck his arm into the room, pulling it out at once as he saw the sleeve start to float up.

"Well, Princess Sofia, I must congratulate you. Instead of levitating anything you instead shifted the state of gravity in your room."

"What?! But I was just trying to levitate Clover! I didn't want all the gravity to change!"

"Which is why you practice saying the spell before actually using it!" Sighing, Cedric pulled out his wand, and, right. Deep breath. He was a great wizard and the King was not going to distract him today. "Which levitation spell did you use?"

"Um, levitio?"

"Are you sure the spell wasn't _levatio_."

"...Maybe," she said weakly.

"You know, this is actually pretty cool!" James was walking along the ceiling and giggling like the foolish child he was, Cedric sighing and covering his eyes for a moment. The things he dealt with. "Hey, Dad, can we keep Sofia's room like this!"

"No, James. _Hopefully,_ Cedric will be able to fix this. Right, Cedric?" Aha. Ha. Right. Fixing a child's mess. Because that was such a _wonderful_ use of his talents and-

"Mister Cedric?"

"Novis levitio." Flourishing his wand, Cedric didn't even let everything fall an inch before he was quickly uttering the _correct_ spell. "Levatio!" Honestly, how did one get spells so mixed up! Sofia, James, and everything else in her room were carefully set down on the ground, and everyone slowly went back to their business, except... Sighing and putting his wand away, Cedric went into the room and gave Sofia as stern a look as he could manage. "Perhaps next time you should start with the level one books."

"But we're already passed all of that in class, and I'm doing just fine!" Why did he ever have to grow a conscious? It was so much easier when he just saw her a sticky child who stole what should have been his.

"Yes but that's for a royalty school taught by fairies. Magic between fairies and sorcerers is _quite_ different. While you can have a bit of leeway with fairy spells and they turn out okay, _sorcerer_ spells can go horribly awry if you're not careful. An example would be your entire room ending up on your _ceiling_."

Sofia sighed. "I guess I just wasn't meant to be a sorcerer. You can have all your books back, Mister Cedric."

Opening his mouth to respond, Cedric frowned and closed it, blinking at Sofia before slowly grinning. "You finally got my name right." He was starting to think that would never happen!

"Was I saying it wrong before?"

"Oh, nevermind." He had been forced to reassure small children. What had become of his life? "And I will take my books, back, thank you." Huffing, Cedric started levitating them out of the room. "I don't want you reading these again until you read all the year one books that you'll need to know for these spells."

"Wait, you're still letting me use your books?" Beside him, Wormwood cawed as well. Cedric waved him off.

"Oh, relax, Wormy. And yes, of course. I don't have any need of year one books at the moment, although it would be nice if you let me know you take them before I find them missing."

"Yes! Yes of course, thank you so much, Mister Ceedric!" Well, that hadn't lasted long, had it? Was it that she just couldn't say certain names and words? He never noticed her having problems with it before.

"Yes, yes, it's the least I can do since I am the greatest sorcerer in the land."

"You definitely are," she said with a nod. Just as he was about to leave- "Oh, and I know it's Cedric, but I think Ceedric just sounds more magical."

Well... Ceedric didn't sound _so_ bad, he supposed.


	2. Daycare Duties

"Babysitter, Wormy, can you believe it! I have incredible amounts of magic and am royal sorcerer of the land and they put me in charge of _babysitting_ a bunch of spoiled, icky, sweaty, _dirty_ little children!" Wormwood cawed and Cedric just knew that wormy was agreeing with him. "I need a spell that will get them to actually listen to me. I can't use anything mind controlling, the King would have my head for that- Perhaps something so that I can understand them? Yes, that might be best. Heavens know that I can barely understand a word of what they're squeaking is all about."

Yes perfect! A spell to understand children! Why didn't he think of something like this before? It would be the fastest way to get them out of his hair, as well! Hm, one of the few that came with certain wand movements. Well, perfect spells were rarely easy. "Stand back, Wormwood, and prepare to see what my genius does now!"

"Oh Mister Ceedric!"

"Sofia, you know it's Cedric."

"Hey, Ceedric doesn't sound that bad, really."

"You two are completely hopeless."

Wand slipping on the third wand movement, Cedric silently cursed before quickly finishing his spell and shuddering as the magic took hold of him. Quite a reaction for something that was supposed to be a simple understanding spell. Still, better than nothing! "Yes, yes, alright, I'm coming."

"That didn't sound like Mister Ceedric," Sofia said on the other side of the door. That's because he wasn't 'Ceedric', now was he? Chuckling to himself at his own humor, Cedric opened the door and... Why was the doorknob further up than it should be? Strange. Did a spell backfire and hit the door? Hm. It must have.

"What is it you all are on about now? I might be looking after you for the day but that doesn't mean I can drop everything at a moment's notice to-"

"Oh. My. Gosh. Mister Ceedric, you're so _cute!_ " ...What.

"I _beg_ your pardon!" The three children were suddenly much taller and- Did his voice just squeak? Why was his- _Oh, no_. "Wormwood- Wormwood! Where's that spell book!" The slipped wand movement- _Oh no no no_.

"Oh, was this another spell?"

"Most likely a backfired spell," Princess Amber snickered.

"It-" Well, technically it was. "I am in perfect control of my magic, thank you!" Princess Amber was almost as tall as him. That was...unsettling. "No need to worry, I just need to find the right spell to fix this."

"Ooh, Mister Ceedric, your hair is longer. It's pretty." There was a caw from Wormwood that sounded very much like laughter, Cedric giving them both dirty looks as he conjured a ribbon before tying his hair back.

"It was a phase. One which I obviously corrected once I was older." Ugh, had he really grown his hair out like this before? Horrifying.

"Well, I think it looks _great!_ "

"We had just come up to invite you to a picnic, but... given your current state, I guess we'll have to put you down for a no."

"Oh, dear, how dreadful to miss such a _wonderful_ event," Cedric drawled, pushing a stool over to his desk and jumping up on it. How did Sofia always manage to run around looking at books when she was this small? She was even smaller than he was right now!

"We even have some of your favorite," Sofia hummed beside him. "Gooseberry pie." Pausing in flipping through the pages, Cedric narrowed her eyes at a grinning Sofia.

"You know exactly what you're doing, don't you?" This was the girl who jumped right into year two sorcery without reading year one.

"I'm... getting you to come to a picnic with us?"

"Oh- Fine. At least I'll be able to keep you three out of trouble." Hefting the book he was looking through into his arms, Cedric stepped off the stool. "I'll find the spell on our way. Well? Hurry up, then, I haven't got all day."

"Oh, good! And don't worry, Wormwood, there are a couple green apples for you, too!" Sofia took Cedric's hand and hurried them along. Wormwood flew after them, Cedric almost positive that he was mocking him in some way. Maybe that was just his imagination, though... It had to be. Wormwood would never say a bad thing about him!

"Must you drag me along like I truly am a child." Honestly, this girl got far too excited about things.

"I mean you kind of are," Prince James said helpfully.

"I'm still older-" Wait, was he older than them? Juggling his book around to free up the hand, Cedric felt how long his hair was. Twelve. Definitely twelve. "Yes. I'm still older than you three."

Sofia giggled as they made their way outside. "Oh, Cedric." Oh, she said his name correctly again. Hm, she did that so rarely, although she was starting to use that and 'Ceedric' in equal amounts.

"Perhaps. I wouldn't be surprised if you messed up the spell enough to where you start de-aging during our picnic." There was a reason he didn't like Princess Amber.

"Oh, Amber, Mister Cedric is the best sorcerer in the kingdom, he can fix a little spell." And this was why Sofia was his favorite of the children - not that that was saying very much.

"Of course I can. It'll just take finding the right page the spell is on, is all. I'm sure I can deal with a picnic at this age."

"Ah, there you are, children, and - Oh, dear." Just don't blush, Cedric, just don't blush.

"I'm perfectly capable of handling this situation, Baileywick." On the name, Cedric heard his voice give a sharp crack. Right. Keep making eye contact. Pretend nothing happened. Sofia giggled at his side.

"Don't worry, Baileywick, I know Mister Ceedric will fix this in no time." Another reason Sofia was his favorite of the brats. At least _she_ actually knew a great sorcerer when she saw one.

"Precisely! I would be loathe to leave the children on their own since I've been recruited into watching over them today, however." Yes, pretend to be responsible. Maybe this time he would actually fool Baileywick.

"If Cedric is not at his proper age by dinner, I will be telling the King," Baileywick informed them. "Now, do you have everything you need for your picnic?" Oh no. Inform the King? They couldn't inform the King! Cedric would probably be tossed out of the castle for messing up as much as this!

"Yes, Baileywick, thank you." Princess Amber gave an obviously fake smile, fanning at her face. "We'll let you know if we need anything else, however."

"Okay! James, you brought all the fruit?" Sofia was smiling at her step - brother, and Cedric had to wonder how a person could be so cheery. Perhaps all of her nastiness had been put in that clone of hers. Hm, that might explain it, actually.

"Well, I brought most of the fruit, but I also brought even _better_!" Prince James held up a basket filled to the brim with cookies and pieces of cake - Cedric saw maybe one orange. Maybe.

"James, you were supposed to bring strawberries and blueberries and-"

"But _cookies_! This is much better! Besides, there's some of that stuff at the bottom."

"That's okay." Ah, Sofia. Always the one to stop the fights. Bless her. "We can just pick some fresh ones in the garden! That way, they'll taste even better!"

Amber huffed. "I am not eating anything that hasn't thoroughly been cleaned and hand washed." Rolling his eyes, Cedric set his book down in the picnic area and heaved a great sigh.

"Come along, children. I'll use a spell to wash the fruit after it's picked." The less time he spent here the better. "In _my day_ we never had to 'wash' our fruit. Why, I remember eating blueberries straight from the bush when I was studying!"

"Well," Amber said with a smirk. "That does explain a few things."

"Amber!"

"Quite." Curse these children. Huffing, Cedric waved over Wormwood, relaxing a bit when he settled on his shoulders. Having such a different angle on things was disconcerting, to say the least.

"So, Mister Ceedric, what spell were you trying to do," Sofia asked him with a smile.

"Oh, nothing too important. Just a simple understanding spell."

"Oh. Well, um... How did this happen from that?"

"I believe I made an error in one of the wand movements and due to this being the family wand there was quite a bit of power behind the spell used. I'm sure it'll be fine once I reverse it." Hopefully.

"Ooh! Okay!" And with that, she was back to humming happily, carrying her rabbit- "Clover, that's not nice." Side-eying the girl, Cedric gave a small frown. The amulet was said to grant powers so perhaps she had the power to speak to animals? It would make the most sense. Oh, yes, children always talked to animals, but Sofia talked as if she knew what they were saying. "Don't be silly," she murmured. "Mister Ceedric is perfectly fine."

"Oh, don't mind her," Amber said beside him. "She's always talking to that pet rabbit of hers."

"Amber, I've told you. Clover is not a pet, he's my friend."

"I don't find anything wrong with it." For some reason, Amber reminded him far too much of the nasty kids he met in Hexley Hall. "Wormwood is my friend and I talk to him quite frequently. Isn't that right, Wormy?" Hm. Maybe one day he'd use an animal translation spell. At that moment, Wormwood seemed to not be paying any attention to him.

"Quite." As he said early. Dirty, sticky little children that he had no use for. Hmph. Were they really this short? He felt far shorter than he should have been. "Sofia, will this take very long? I'd like to go onto the blanket, these are new shoes."

"It'll go faster if you help. I mean, you can tell us which have the brightest, most delicious colors."

"Hm. You're right. Your efforts would simply be wasted if I wasn't here! Come along, James. You can start picking at the ones I point out." As the twins hurried on ahead, Cedric looked to Sofia.

"How on earth do you deal with those two every day?" He could barely handle five minutes of them.

"What do you mean?" She said with a small frown. "They're my brother and sister."

"Exactly." He could barely handle his own for five minutes let alone every single day.

"Well I think they're great," she said definitively.

"As you wish." Cedric pulled his wand, absently flicking at one of the apple trees and nodding as the best looking apples began to fly into the basket on Sofia's wrist. "Why are you three throwing a picnic today, anyways? It's so _gloomy_ out." Clouds had been threatening to rain for days now and there were only brief snippets of sunshine.

"Because we try to have one every week. Sometimes we have them inside." Did this girl ever stop smiling? She probably didn't. How did she manage to always be so _happy_.

"I think you should have this one inside." Flourishing his wand at another tree, Cedric made a noise very similar to a screech as something smacked his hand and knocked his wand out of it at the same time.

"Rex, no, that's not a stick! Clover, help me get back Mister Cedric's wand!" Sofia and the rabbit were off after that irritating dog at once, Cedric throwing his arms up as it sunk in what just happened.

"That mangy- Wormy! I need that wand back!" If he didn't use his family wand then the spell would be too strong to reverse!

"Rex! Not again, come back!'

"Are you two playing with Rex?" Amber frowned, not at all helping. "We should be getting back to our picnic-"

"That mangy mutt stole my wand!"

"He can't change back without his wand. Oh, James! Help us get Rex!"

"On it, Sof! C'mere, Rex, it's not playtime anymore!"

"Ooo! Flipendo!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sofia pointing a little wand- Wait.

"Wha- Since when did you start carrying a wand?" Cedric frowned, temporarily distracted from Rex and the fact he had now been flipped around. "Where did you get that? If it's not a good quality then your spells won't work like they should- You know, you should consider making your own wand. If you do it right then they can be quite invaluable."

"I borrowed one from the fairies- Mister Cedric look out!" Blinking, Cedric followed Sofia's gaze to see James' awful mutt was about- Had now knocked right into him. Grabbing the dog by the collar, Cedric scrambled to get his balance and dug his heels into the ground.

"Drop that wand right now you mutt! That is a precious family heirloom!"

"Rex, drop it boy! Drop it!" Sofia came over and kneeled next to the dog, petting behind his ears. The second the wand was dropped Cedric was grabbing it and holding onto it tightly, glaring at the menace of a creature that _dare_ attempted to steal what was his. Feeling Wormwood settle on his shoulder again, Cedric huffed.

"Oh, a great big help _you_ were."

"Good job, Rex, you're a good boy," Sofia hummed, continuing to pet the dog, smiling at it.

"Ugh. _Dogs_." Letting Sofia and now James fawn over the dog, Cedric moved to gather the baskets of fruit and cast a simple cleansing charm over them, popping a blueberry into his mouth to make sure Amber wouldn't complain. "There we are. Perfectly safe to eat."

"Hmph. Now that we have everything can we move this along?" Doing his best to not mock the girl, Cedric levitated the baskets and headed back towards their picnic area, keeping a tight grip on his wand this time- Actually, thinking on wands...

"You said you got a wand from those fairies that teach your school, yes?"

"Ah, maybe?" Raising an eyebrow, Cedric stared at Sofia steadily. The girl never could keep to a lie, so she would probably break any- "I might not have _told_ them about it." Sighing, Cedric shook his head.

"Alright, let me see it. Wands made by fairies usually only do basic spells the best. Anything else and they tend to go a bit awry." Hanging her head, the little princess handed the wand over to him. Studying it for a moment, Cedric slowly nodded. "You would be better off using one of the wands from my workshop. I believe I have one that will work well for you that you can have-"

"Really?! I can have one of your wands?!" Oh, wow, that was loud. That was very loud and he was being hugged- He wasn't much surprised by the hugging.

"Ah, right." Clearing his throat, Cedric gently pat Sofia on the back- Oh, that was strange. She wasn't much shorter than he was right now. "No problem."

"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Oh, erm, yes. Yes, you're quite welcome."

"Sofia!"

"Coming, Amber!"

Staring after the two, Cedric felt a reluctant smile shine through. He supposed that spending a few hours as a child hadn't been too bad, overall. Sofia stealing a wand from the fairies, though... This girl was interesting.


	3. Witchlet

"Oh Mister Ceedric!" Ha! This time he managed to not blow up his potion! Ooh, and Sofia was right on time. If he did this right then this potion should, when sprinkled on top of her, make a copy of all jewelry she was wearing and then magically teleport the _real_ pieces into his pockets! It was genius! "Hi," she hummed happily beside him. "What are you up to?"

"Just a silly little potion I'm making. Nothing- What are you wearing." Cedric wasn't aware it was Halloween so why was Sofia running around dressed like- Like a _witch_.

"Oh! I just came back from Lucinda's cauldronation. Do you have any witch spell books?" Did he- How dare- He couldn't believe! How dare she insult him like that!

"I'm afraid, Princess Sofia, that you'll find nothing like that in _my_ workshop."

She frowned at that. "Oh. Well do you know where I can find any? I want to be a witch."

"What happened to wanting to be a sorcerer!"

"I was Lucinda's witch of honor and I used a witch spell to turn all her friends from owls back into people and it was ah. Mazing!" She used a witch spell. A _witch_ \- How dare the girl betray him like this.

"I see." The potion should be done by now. Good. "You would be best asking your _witch_ friends, then." Hmph. _Witches_.

"Can boys be witches, Mister Cedric? You should be one! It's lots of fun."

"As if I would ever stoop that low," Cedric grumbled under his breath. It was official, James was now the child he hated least in this castle. "A sorcerer's wand won't work well with witch spells, you know."

"Why not? I don't see a big difference."

"There is a huge difference!"

"Like what?"

"Well for _starters_ , witches use long worded and complicated phrases as their spells and they're all so _nature_ themed. Sorcerers can do incredible feats with just a single word but ohho, not witches! They don't have as much magic, either!"

"So you _do_ have books about witches!" Curse this girl. Waving towards one of the bookshelves, Cedric just barely repressed the urge to sneer.

"On the bottom shelf. There's only three of them, though." Now just carefully pour a little bit of the potion onto her head... Sofia bent down to retrieve the books, humming cheerfully as she did so. Sprinkling just a few drops on the girl's head, Cedric beamed as he felt his pockets grow heavier. Brilliant! This was- Wait. "You used a witch spell? Successfully?"

"Uh huh! Turning witches that got turned into owls back into witches! They couldn't hold their wands, so they taught me the spell!" That couldn't be right. Only witches could cast witch spells - or very strong magic users. The amulet, maybe? Hm.

"Interesting. Well, no matter. I still think you'd be a far better sorcerer."

"But sorcerers don't have cauldronations!"

"Is that what this is all about? You wanting a cauldronation?" Why would she want a hideous, tacky thing like that?

"Well not just that! Sorcerers don't ride brooms!" For good reason! Whizzing about and always one inch from death. Who needed to fly when you could just use a teleportation spell!

"For good reason. Come on, then. What else can witches do that sorcerers can't."

Sofia opened her mouth before closing it with a frown. "They hex!"

"Oh, yes, that's a good reason to become a witch. So you can go around hexing people- There are hexes for sorcerers too, you know! And ours aren't so... _childish_."

"Well, I mean... Sorcerers just wear robes."

"What's wrong with robes?" Robes were just fine! Right?

"Well..." Sofia have a gesture to herself, smiling at him.

"I think your robes were nicer." Much better than all that spiderweb nonsense she had going on. And that hat? Hideous. "Fine, be a witch if you want but I won't be able to help you much."

"...Why not?"

"I'm not able to do witch magic," Cedric said, giving a small shrug. "There's a reason I'm a sorcerer, after all."

"Oh," he heard her say softly, and for a moment, he thought he heard her mutter before, "Um, I- I'll be back."

"I have no doubt." Watching as she left, Cedric eagerly searched his pockets, pulling out... Sofia's tiara and her bracelet. Oh, Merlin's Mushrooms. He had really been expecting that one to work.

::

"Well, Mister Ceedric, I figured it out!" Sighing at the remains of one of his latest potion ingredients, Cedric cleaned it up with a flick of the finger as he looked to where the door had been thrown open.

"Oh? And what, Princess Sofia, have you figured out?"

"I think being a witch would be great, but being a sorcerer is even better," she hummed happily.

"Oh." Well, he was glad she had come to her senses. Looking over, he saw she was once again in her 'sorcerer's outfit'. "Yes, well, that much is obvious, of course!"

"Besides, why should I try to be a witch when the best sorcerer in the realm is right here to teach me?" Alright, Sofia was now the favorite royal child. What was he thinking having James be the favorite? Far too rambunctious, that one.

"Quite right. I'm glad you've returned to your senses." Studying her for a moment, Cedric hummed as he went over to his bookshelf. There should be that one book on animal spells that would suit her... It wasn't like Cedric ever dealt with animals and Sofia was always talking to that rabbit friend of hers.

"Okay! What are you gonna teach me first?" Let's see... Boils, cauldrons, nature spells, food spells, Wassailia- Ah, animal spells! Pulling the book out with a bit of a flourish, Cedric proudly held it out to her. Let witches top _that_. "...Animal spells? Like controlling animals," she asked with a frown. Ah, yes. For as magical and powerful she could be, she was infuriatingly _good._ Ugh.

"No, no, no. That's far more advanced spellwork. This is for communicating with, helping, and understanding them. It's mostly how to talk to animals and how to heal them, I believe."

"Oh! Well, I don't need a spell to talk to them," she said cheerfully to him. "Ever since I saved a baby bird my first day here, I've always been able to talk to them as long as I have my amulet on, and I promised to never ever take it off."

"I figured as much." It was nice to have the confirmation, though. "The Amulet of Avalor is a powerful magical artifact that can great untold powers depending on the actions you take." ...Why was he telling her this? The less she knew the better!

"I know," she said seriously. "Dad said that when he tried to pick something to give me to welcome me to the castle, the amulet was glowing, like it chose me." It... It chose her? Cedric might have underestimated how difficult it would be to get the amulet from her.

"Perhaps it saw how well you do at magic."

"I'd never done magic before, though!" She looked down at her amulet, holding it close. "I think Elena just knew."

"Elena as in the mythical lost princess of Avalor Elena?" Perhaps he had underestimated _Sofia_.

"Oh, well, she's not lost anymore. She was just stuck in my amulet. That's why it was the Amulet of Avalor."

"I... What?" Trapped. There was a princess _trapped_ in that amulet?!

"Uh huh! But now she's the Crowned Princess of Avalor. We're penpals."

"I... I see." No. No, he did not see- He really, _really_ did not see. "That's nice." Did that mean the amulet no longer worked like it should? That would explain why it was now pink. "Perhaps you'll tell me the story sometime."

"Maybe. You said I can use magic to heal animals? That'll help Clover when Crackle gets excited!" As Sofia reached for the book, Cedric held it out of reach.

"You get this on the condition you practice _saying_ the spells first and that the moment something goes wrong you come and get me." Purely because the King would have his head, otherwise. That was the only reason.

"I promise, Mister Cedric," she said seriously, nodding up at him. Holding the book out of reach for one more moment, Cedric nodded and gave her the book.

"Good. If you think you might need help on a spell then you can ask me, I suppose. As long as it's during a reasonable time!" He didn't want to be woken up in the middle of the night, after all.

"I will." This time, he was a bit startled by the hug. "You're the best, Cedric." Oh, there wasn't a 'Mister' in front of it that time.

"Ah, yes, well. You're quite welcome." Just...pat her on the head.

"Okay! I have to go practice!"

"Don't use it on an animal unless you know it will work!"

"Okay!"


	4. Marketplace Woes

"Alright, Wormy, let's see if we have everything here. Wand, bag, money to get supplies, empty potion bottles, that utterly useless book I need to take back, list of ingredients we need, Princess Sofia- Wha- Princess Sofia! When did you get here?"

"Just now. You left the door open." Glancing past her, he saw the door was indeed wide open. "Where are you going?"

"The Wizard's Bazaar. I need to refill on some of my potion supplies and take back this book. It was useless." Maybe talk to that fortune teller who had sold it to him, too.

"Ooh! Can I come with you? It sounds so interesting!" That sounded like an utterly horrible idea and Cedric needed to find a way to get out of this. Quickly.

"Oh, I'd love you to come, really, but what would your parents say if you suddenly disappeared! It's a terrible idea, truly."

"Oh, we can tell them on our way out! It'll only take a couple seconds. _Please?_ "

"I, um, well..." Cedric glanced to Wormwood for help, having the overwhelming feeling that he was laughing at him. "I suppose if they say yes..."

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you! I'll be right back, I promise!"

"I've become so weak," Cedric sighed, dragging his feet towards the door. "It's okay. Maybe the King will tell her no! I"m sure he will, in fact. Let's go watch, Wormy."

"Mom! Mom!" Oh no. Quickening his pace, Cedric poked his head around the corner.

"Yes, Sofia, what is it?" King Roland wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Cedric is going to the Wizard's Bazaar, and I really want to go with him, and he said I can go, can I please please _please?_ " Say no, say no, say no, say-

"Of course, dear. It sounds like it'll be fun."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" She hugged her mother tightly before turning back to him and beaming. Cedric did his best to conjure up a smile, and oh, this was going to be a long day.

"You're going to want to put on your sorcerer robes, aren't you?"

"Oh! You're right! I'll be right back!" With that, she ran off. Nervously staring at the Queen, Cedric cleared his throat and gave a nervous smile.

"I'll take the utmost care of her, Your Majesty."

"I trust you to do so, Cedric." Alright, Queen Miranda was his favorite Royal right now. Roland and Amber were tied for last. The Queen gave him a small smile before continuing on her way to where she was heading, Cedric wondering if he should wait for Sofia or head for the entrance hall- Ooh, if he did that then maybe she wouldn't find him by the time he left.

Just as he began to walk out, she scrambled into the room. "Okay! I'm ready!" Of course. Waiting just long enough for her to catch up, Cedric nodded and led her along outside.

"Right. I don't want you wandering off, don't buy anything from any of the venders unless you know what it is and how you'll use it and even then check with me because I don't trust these people, don't wander off, absolute _do not_ talk to any psychics or fortune tellers, don't wander off, avoid anyone that seems sketchy, and _don't wander off_."

"Alright! Got it!" She smiled up at him and nodded. "How do we get to the wizard's bazaar?"

"Magic, of course." Pulling out his wand, Cedric cleared his throat before pausing. "You might want to close your eyes."

"Oh, um... Okay." Oh, _now_ the girl looked uncertain. Where was this behavior when she was first practicing magic, hm? Grabbing the girl's hand, Cedric sighed. Might as well as make it a teaching moment so she wouldn't ask so many questions.

"Right. This is called the Here to There spell. It teleports you from one place to another. If you don't close your eyes, you get dizzy. That's about it. Now, hold on tight." Clearing his throat again, Cedric swished his wand with purpose. "Transporto Appearo - Wizard's Bazaar!"

As they appeared at the bazaar, he could hear her muttering beside him, "Transporto Appearo, Transporto Appearo..." At least she was practicing saying the spells, now.

"Remember, stay close and try not to wander off. Also, try not to get caught up in any of the 'spells' they use here." Show-offs, the lot of them.

"Okay, no wandering off. Who are you bringing this book to?"

"Madame Aloo. She runs a small store here that specializes in fortune telling."

"Ooo. I met a fortune teller, once."

"They're a dime a dozen." Cedric waved off, pausing as he stared at where he was still holding Sofia's hand. When had that happened. Letting go a bit quickly, Cedric cleared his throat. "Come along. We have a lot of stops to make today."

"Oh. Okay." She hurried along after him and they quickly found the correct stall. Pulling the book out, Cedric slammed it on the table and narrowed his eyes at _Aloo_.

"I want a full refund."

"Oh, hi Madam Ubetcha!"

"Wha- Madam _what_?" Cedric stared at Sofia and how did this girl know _everyone_?

"Madam Ubetcha. A magician stole Clover and she helped me get him back."

"...Right. Madam Aloo, I would like to get a full refund for this scam of a book you sold me last month."

"That book is no scam! That is one of my best sellers! No refund!"

"Not one single thing in this worked!"

"Not my fault you are bad at crystal gazing! Bah!"

"Because it's such an unreliable method of magic! Name one honest crystal gazer who actually knows what they're doing? Exactly! You can't! It's impossible!"

"She helped me find Clover," Sofia put in 'helpfully.' Giving her a sharp look, Cedric grumbled as he looked back to Madame Aloo. Curse them all.

"What about a trade instead of a refund, then?"

"Perhaps something can be arranged," the woman said with a smirk.

"Oo, what about this one?" Of course it was purple.

"Your little girl has better taste than you."

"Obviously she has better taste than you and your dingy little cart, too," Cedric sneered, crossing his arms. "And just because a book is purple doesn't mean it's going to be good!"

"Oh, I didn't pick it because it was purple." She turned it over and read the cover, " _Everything Your Little Sorcerer Needs To Know To Make Big Magic, a Reference._ " Blinking, Cedric looked at it over her shoulder, frowning as he gently took it and flipped through it.

"Huh. It's surprising she has something that's actually _helpful_." It was a nice reference for beginning sorcerers, actually. It covered all the basics for year one and a bit of year two.

"You are trading books, right? Give her that one and you get another?" Oh, no. This time Cedric _knew_ she was trying to manipulate him. Well, she had another thing coming if she thought it was going to work!

"Fine. It's unlikely _I'll_ find anything of use around here." Dropping the book back into her hands, Cedric raised an eyebrow at Madame 'Aloo' - if that was her real name. "We'll take that one."

"Perfect." On his shoulder, Wormwood cawed, causing Sofia to frown.

"Wormwood, be nice," she huffed. Wormwood only gave another caw, Cedric sighing as he nudged Sofia along.

"Come along, we have other places to be today."

"Fine. Thank you, Madam Ubetcha!"

"You betcha! Nice to see you have better taste than your idiot... Father? Uncle?" Wha- _What_?!

"Oh, no, he's a... family friend."

"I am not an idiot!" This day was already exhausting and it hadn't even begun... He was never bringing Sofia here again.

::

All things considered, it hadn't been a bad day at the marketplace. Cedric got everything he needed, Sofia only wandered off once due to getting distracted by crystals - Cedric might have bought one or two purely for his own magic, he was just having Sofia hold them - and nothing ended with disaster! Really, it was a good day... King Roland was standing in the entrance hall and glaring at him. Oh no. "Hi dad," Sofia chirped beside him, holding her new book tightly.

"Sofia. I was wondering where you had gone off too." Roland was still glaring at him. That was a very not good thing. Alright, Sofia, just don't tell him where they went-

"We were at the wizard's bazaar. I asked Mom if it was okay." This girl was far too sweet and that just made it all worse.

"I see. You've been spending an awful lot of time with Cedric, you know." Cedric wanted out of this conversation now.

"Uh huh. He's been teaching me all about being a great sorcerer."

"Has he." Tensing as Roland's gaze turned to him, Cedric gave a nervous little wave. "Cedric, could I have a word with you?"

"Aaactually, Dad! I was hoping maybe you could help me with some of my homework for school!" She was giving Roland her cheeriest, brightest smile Cedric had ever seen.

"O-Oh, well, yes, of course. How about I join you in your room as soon as I'm done talking to Cedric?" Roland was wavering. Sofia was now his favorite Royal.

" _Please,_ Dad? I really really need help on it, and you're the King, so you're the best person to ask. It's all about royal greetings and proper manners depending on who you're talking to and it's really confusing."

"Right now?" Roland asked weakly, looking completely defeated. "Very well. I suppose I can talk to Cedric later."

" _Great!_ Let's go!" Sofia dragged Roland away at once, giving a bright grin and little wave back at Cedric.

"Wormy, how do you feel about leaving the castle and never coming back?" Roland was going to kill him next time they saw each other. Wormwood cawed, and Cedric rather got the impression he was rolling his eyes.

::

"I will not be run out of this castle because I'm afraid." Yes, Cedric had three escape routes planned and was clutching his wand like a security blanket as he brewed a potion Baileywick wanted for something or other, but that didn't mean he was _afraid_.

"Cedric." Shrieking in total and complete fear, Cedric scrambled to save his potion he had knocked over before turning with wide eyes to see King Roland standing in his doorway. "I don't appreciate you teaching Sofia magic behind my back."

"If we're being technical, Your Majesty, I've never actually taught her any magic." At least, he didn't think he had in the traditional sense. "Although I did help her pass a school sorcery test a few months back."

"Then I suppose I'll have to take her out of that class." What? He had never seen Roland as the type to honestly hate magic. Annoyed by it, certainly, but never hate.

"Prince James and Princess Amber are in the same class. As far as my knowledge goes, it's a core class for all princes and princesses at that school." Sorcery and magic was a part of their entire land... How could you ever hate it?

"Well, I don't want Sofia messing around with any sort of magic. That Amulet she has is enough." N... No. That's not- That's not how this worked.

"With all due respect, King Roland, the Amulet of Avalor doesn't _give_ magic to people. It amplifies the magic someone has through their deeds. Whatever Princess Sofia has done she's done through her own magic and merit."

"You know quite a lot about her amulet, Cedric." Gritting his teeth, Cedric clenched his fists and gave an aggravated sigh.

"Of _course_ I do. It's one of the most well-known magical artifacts in the world right now. What sorcerer wouldn't know of the Amulet of Avalor?"

"I see." Roland sighed, crossing his arms. "I don't want Sofia to be a sorcerer, Cedric. She's a princess. Princesses have sorcerers to do magic for them."

"Oh, yes, because there has _never_ been a Princess with magic before. I wonder what half of the princesses in our history think about that- And for another matter I never wanted her to be one! She just sort of became one."

" _Someone_ has given her the books she's got littered around her room."

"She was curious and I figured it wouldn't do any harm to let her read them."

"And where did she get the wand?"

"A dingy old thing I had lying around that I gave to her since she took the last one from her school."

"She _what?_ "

"Borrowed! I should say she borrowed it!" Oh, this wasn't going well at all, was it? "I don't see why you're so against this, Your Majesty. She'll probably grow out of it in a few months, no matter what. Children are fickle."

"Perhaps. If she still wants to learn magic, I don't want you to be the one to teach her." And just what was _that_ supposed to mean? Yes, Cedric could be a little flighty with his magic, but he was Royal Sorcerer for a reason! He was Cedric the Sensational! "Despite what you hope for, you are not your father or your sister, Cedric."

For a moment, it felt like time had been frozen. It felt like it should have been frozen. "You..." This. This was why he wanted to steal that Amulet and take the crown. Because he could do better than this fool ever could. "You have no right to say that to me." Roland had made just as many mistakes yet Cedric's were the ones never forgotten. How was that fair?

Just before either of them could say anything, there was a loud boom, and a shriek of, " _Cedric!_ " Cedric was out the door and running down the stairs, wand clutched tightly in his hand and no, no, no, that _stupid_ girl! He got to her room to see that the door was... blocked. By her dollhouse? "I can't get out!"

"Are you hurt? Trapped under anything? Can you move?"

"Yeah, but... I'm stuck, I can't go anywhere." At least she wasn't hurt. Sighing, Cedric inspected the doll house with a frown.

"Did you happen to use an enlargement spell, by chance?"

"Maybe. I practiced it a hundred times though!"

"Well, you seem to have done a good job with it." This was quite large for a first attempt... Just how much were her powers boosted by the amulet? "Did you get to the chapter about shrinking spells?"

"I looked, but it needs a magic dust!" Maybe he should start keeping supplies in Sofia's room so these things didn't happen in the future.

"Alright, alright. I'll go get some from my tower and be back to preform the spell. It'll only take me a short time. In the future, though, try to have everything need to perform both spells for situations like these."

"Sofia? Sofia, what happened?"

"Um. Nothing! Cedric is going to fix it!"

"I don't know if that's the safest option, Sofia. We can find some other way to get you out!" Ugh. He was never going to be trusted when it came to his magic.

"No," she said forcefully. "Cedric can do it." Trying not to grin too much, Cedric nodded to Roland as a proper Royal Sorcerer should.

"I'll be right back with the spell to reverse this, Your Majesty."

And he was right back, only to see the King and Baileywick trying to force their way into the room. Raising an eyebrow at how little progress was being made, Cedric rolled his eyes as he began to prep the spell. Honestly, magical mistakes could only be corrected through more magic. Or something like that. "If you're done trying to destroy her doll house, I believe I have something that will be much more effective."

"No, the last thing we need is more magic," Roland said, frowning at him. Trying to stay calm, Cedric took a deep breath and he could do this. If Sofia needed him to do this, then he could _do this._

"I know what I'm doing." Without pausing to wait for him, Cedric cast the spell on the dollhouse and watched as it shrank back down to a manageable size. Ignoring the other two, Cedric stepped over and walked into the room, slumping at what he saw. "The spell bounced a few times, didn't it?"

"Maybe a few," came her voice from behind the vanity. The vanity that was knocked over and seemed to be trapping her back against a corner. Sighing, Cedric slowly went around the room, unshrinking objects one by one and firmly concentrating on the fact that Sofia would be fine and that she wasn't hurt.

After a few minutes, Cedric finally finished with the vanity, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow down at Sofia. "What did I say about being careful when casting spells?" Sofia didn't answer, only hugging him tightly, her hands tangling in his robes. "Yes, well, I suppose you did learn a lesson." Cedric gently patted at her head, a tiny smile slipping out. "I think you've practiced enough magic today."

"I'm so so sorry, I promise I won't try any magic unless you're there." Nodding, Cedric cleared his throat and nudged the girl away a bit.

"Right. Why don't you go reassure the King that you're alright."

"Um... Actually, I think I'll stay in here."

"Really?" That was strange. He thought Sofia _adored_ King Roland.

She nodded, taking a step back. "Really."

"Alright, if you're sure." Giving her another pat on the head, Cedric took another glance around the room to make sure everything was back to how it should be. "If you'd like, I'm working on a potion... You can come watch since you're _dreadfully_ behind on potions."

Sofia smiled up at him. "That sounds great, Mister Cedric." Perhaps now he could keep her out of trouble - although who knew how long it would be until the next mishap. Feeling his hand taken, Cedric looked down to see that the young princess was now holding his hand. Well, it wasn't the worst thing to happen to accidentally take on an apprentice.


	5. Cold Shoulder

Cedric walked through the dining room while the royal family was sat for lunch. "Sofia, can you pass the green beans, please?" Sofia... Had she not heard Roland speaking? It didn't seem like it, since she just kept eating as if nothing was wrong.

"Here, Dad, I got them," James offered, half climbing over the table in order to slide the green beans over to the end of the table.

"Thank you, James," Roland sighed. "Sofia, when you're finished with the salt, can you pass it to me?" There was a long silence at the table, Amber clearing her throat and giving Sofia a small nudge.

"Sofia, Dad asked if you could pass the salt. Didn't you hear him?"

"No," she said, far too cheerily. "I didn't hear anything." Narrowing his eyes, Cedric stared at her for a long moment. Her dress was still purple so it didn't seem so she had made an evil clone of herself again. Was someone controlling her.

"Wha- Sofia," Amber frowned. "What has gotten into you? You're not being very nice which is... It's very unlike you."

Sofia frowned at her. "Amber, I'm not being mean."

"You're ignoring Dad and acting like he's not even there!" Sofia only gave a quiet 'harumph' and that was that. It was quite hard for Cedric to not give Sofia a proud, beaming smile- Alright, so he might have, but no one was looking at him. There was no proof he had done anything.

"Sofia, I don't think I like this new attitude," Roland said with a frown, setting his fork down.

"I'm sure it's just a phase," Miranda said calmly, laying a hand on Roland's arm. "Why don't I talk to her after dinner? She's probably just upset over something and needs to work it out."

"Oh... Alright," Roland sighed, smiling at Miranda. While this was all fascinating to watch, he wondered why Sofia was ignoring Roland in the first place. They hadn't gotten into a fight, as far as he knew. But then, Cedric never did know what went on behind closed doors. Perhaps that was for the best, all things considered.


End file.
